The Institute of Chartered Accountants Zimbabwe (ICAZ) North American chapter recently held its second annual conference in the Cayman Islands. The chapter represents over 120 members who trained and qualified as chartered accountants in Zimbabwe, now living and working in the US, Canada and the Caribbean Islands.
Inspired by the ever-changing professional landscape for accountants, the theme of this year’s conference was ‘Breaking the Mould ‐ Fuelling Creativity’.
As public expectations for chartered accountants are rising globally, it is important that they acquire new skills in a rapidly changing business environment: From participating in the launch and use of emerging technologies and financial instruments, to rewriting the framework for how these should be used, valued and audited.
“Chartered accountants have been left with little choice but to break out of the established and traditional accountancy functions,” said Richard Maparura in a press release. “They have pursued new paths in different careers by collaborating with professionals in various other fields like IT, Human Resources, Regulation, Law, Music and Sport. In the process they have been instrumental in creating new business solutions to the challenges facing their clients and communities.”
The two-day conference included an evening gala dinner and a boat cruise after the event.
Duduzile Shinya, the senior vice president of ICAZ, in her address, emphasised the institute’s mission to enhance the international standing, brand and recognition of the chartered accountant (Zimbabwe) qualification to benefit its members and the institutions they serve.
Zimbabwe-born Blair Lilford, founder and owner of SALT Technology Group, spoke about innovation and creativity in his presentation. SALT was named 2017 and 2018 Microsoft Partner of the Year for the Cayman Islands and received the Outstanding Innovation Award from the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce in their first year of business.
The keynote speech was followed by a panel discussion consisting of five speakers from the fields of asset management (hedge funds), blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, human resources, law and regulatory compliance.
Hellen Chemeli, Petri Basson, Alistair Mills, Gail Lufu and Anna Nyaundi discussed how they used their creativity to create, capture and take advantage of opportunities in ways that have added value to their clients, or helped them as individuals to switch to a different career path.
The evening gala night featured a keynote address from CPA Linda Maduwura, who narrated her life journey and experiences in breaking the mould and defying societal boundaries. She trained with Ernst & Young in Zimbabwe before moving to Bermuda in 2002, where she was first introduced to the world of alternative investments. She moved to San Francisco, California, in 2006 where she worked in various roles within the alternative investment industry, ultimately reaching director level with KPMG’s private equity practice before leaving the firm.
In 2018, Maduwara established Fife Avenue Partners to provide quality fund accounting and consulting services to venture capital firms and high net worth individuals.
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